About Us
History
How It Came To Be
Sussex Corporate Risk was founded in Ottawa in late 2009, becoming the first start-up, "boot-strapped", insurance brokerage in the National Capital Region in over fifteen years at that time. Frustrated with the poor-value proposals offered by competitors and their cookie-cutter approach to commercial insurance, our founder recognized a gap in the industry and leveraged his specialized knowledge and partnerships with AM Best A-rated global insurers to provide a true value added business model for niche commercial clientele.

Sussex Corporate Risk has experienced tremendous organic growth since 2009 expanding to the Greater Toronto Area and across Ontario. A specialized niche commercial insurance operation, Sussex Corporate Risk has been successful because of its focus on providing extraordinary client service; competitive commercial insurance products; and innovative approaches to risk management.
Specialties: Sussex Corporate Risk specializes in providing comprehensive commercial insurance programs for clients in the construction, fleet & transportation, high hazard liability risk, manufacturing, non profit & non-governmental, professional executive risk, property, technology, trade credit & political risk and wholesale & distribution industries.
Current clientele include a wide range of property managers, construction firms, engineering and architectual firms, non-government organizations / non-profit associations, technology companies (public and private), pharmaceutical companies (public and private), contractors, manufacturers, retailers and hospitality industry customers.
Despite burgeoning consolidation in the industry by large multi-national brokerages, venture capital firms and insurance companies who have acquired a siginificant amount of brokerages in the last few years, Sussex Corporate Risk remains truly 100% independent, employee-owned and client-focused. We will continue to stay independent regardless of the business trends - that is our promise.
Our Team
George Giannoukos
President
GGeorge is the founder of Sussex Corporate Risk and began his insurance career in 1996...
George is the founder of Sussex Corporate Risk and began his insurance career in 1996 working for various multinational brokers over the years. He recognized an opportunity during the Great Recession of 2009 that the "Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None" philosophy did not work in his industry and commercial insurance specialists were sorely needed. He left his extremely cushy career as a top-level producing broker with a multinational firm to boot-strap a boutique insurance brokerage during an economic crisis. He hasn't looked back since his solo journey began to create a niche industry player.
He pushed the envelope by leveraging cloud computing technologies to make the work-from-home a reality back in the early 2010's something that has now become commonplace. He has also developed innovative products and tailored insurance programs for large corporate customers.
Scott Thomas
Vice-President & Partner
Scott joined Sussex Corporate Risk in 2016, and brings over 30 years of experience to his position…
Scott joined Sussex Corporate Risk in 2016, and brings over 30 years of experience to his position as Vice President. He has developed extensive knowledge of the insurance industry tailoring innovative risk management and insurance programs, along with the exceptional ability to manage large corporate accounts.
Scott is a Registered Insurance Broker in the province of Ontario (RIBO) and has achieved his Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) designation.
When not at work Scott enjoys spending time with family and friends. Depending on the season, you’ll also find him with his kids on the ski slopes or mountain biking. He is also passionate about cars and enjoys going for sunset drives with the top down.
Erin Young
Client Executive
Erin joined Sussex in 2014. She has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 20 years with a focus on commercial...
Erin joined Sussex in 2014. She has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 20 years with a focus on commercial insurance.
Erin has worked to support her clients by providing them with the highest level of service and support. She is extremely skilled in sales, negotiating with the insurance companies and managing her business portfolio.
She lives in Ottawa and enjoys spending time with family and friends. In her spare time, she spends time outdoors playing tennis, running, biking and skiing.
Jennifer Hodgson
Assistant Client Executive
With over 20 years working in the industry, Jennifer brings invaluable wisdom and experience...
With over 20 years working in the industry, Jennifer brings invaluable wisdom and experience to Sussex Corporate Risk Inc. Having worked on the insurer company and broker side of the business, Jennifer offers great perspective. Every client’s needs are different and she works diligently to ensure each one receives the best solution at the best price.
When not in the office, Jennifer enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially in the outdoors. She loves spending her weekends hiking, biking and kayaking.
Artem Lavrenkov
Developer
Artem is our resident IT genius and software engineer. He is developing our in-house proprietary commercial…
Artem is our resident IT genius and software engineer. He is developing our in-house proprietary commercial insurance solution and cloud networks.
He started back in the day working on his Commodore 64 and has geeked out ever since.
Eliana Daria
Content Creator & Marketing Assistant
Eliana is our Chief Inspiration Officer.She provides truly outside-the-box ideas for a stodgy and conservative industry.
Eliana is our Chief Inspiration Officer. She provides truly outside-the-box ideas for a stodgy and conservative industry.
